Possible Dairy Allergy?

[Mom2AlexandLiz]

Hi all. I have a one month old baby girl who started producing green stools at three weeks of age. She is exclusively breastfed. She also vomits daily and spits up a lot. She has painful hiccups, is colic, and nursing nonstop. I know it is not my milk supply, because she has had a wonderful weight gain. I've spoken to two pediatricians about her problems and they think she has acid reflux. They told me not to worry about the green stool. Problem is, I can't when my baby is so upset! Also, from time to time, she has mucus in her stool. Does this sound like an allergy?
I've decided that I am going to do an elimination diet of dairy to see if that helps her. I am a vegetarian, so I am a little worried about cutting out dairy as a protein source. Is it true that protein is needed to sustain milk supply? My son, who is two, was diagnosed with a milk allergy at a year of age, so I gave up dairy then. I also noticed a drop in supply, although I had supply problems the entire time I nursed him, so I am not sure if they are related. If anyone has been through something similar, I'd really appreciate some good tips on what to eat! Thanks!

[karika]

It is my belief that cow's milk, as it is harvested in the world today is not good for us or the species called cow (taking the calf away from its mama on the day of birth is a horrible practice that even large scale organic operations do). Read this page about cow's milk proteins in breastmilk and make sure to see the hidden sources of it too. http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns...ity.html#dairy
We are GFCFSF here and it is no problem. It is the healthiest thing to ever happen to me IMO. but, we are not vegetarians yet. I recommend asking what else you could eat in the vegetarian and vegan forum. http://www.mothering.com/discussions...play.php?f=366 I eat a lot of beans and nuts personally, but protein is very important... yeah I am not qualified to answer that part, but I am pretty sure by what you described that your baby will benefit from soy and dairy elimination (make sure you give it at least 2 weeks of strict 100% no dairy or soy before you decide) and it may be that other things will need to be cut out also, like gluten or corn... I am just curious, did the baby receive any vaccinations?

[PatioGardener]

the other thing worth thinking about is overactive letdown/abundant supply, which can cause the same symptoms.

nak

[Mom2AlexandLiz]

Well, right after posting this, I changed her diaper and she had blood in her poop. So, I took her to the pediatrician and they said that she has a dairy allergy -- guess that's confirmed! I will definitely head on over to the vegetarian/vegan forum. Thanks ladies!

[kismetbaby]

Yep, blood in the stools is an allergy. We had the same thing happen. Cutting dairy fixed it for us. . .I am also a vegetarian. It was hard at first, but I found some good substitutes like coconut milk yogurt!

You can definitely get enough protein without dairy--plenty of vegans are very healthy. Just be sure to get enough beans and grains. Also, eggs are a good source of protein, although they too can be an allergen. For me, I had to make sure I was getting enough fat to keep my milk supply up, this seemed to be more important than protein for me. So I eat a lot of avocados now and add olive oil to things as much as possible.

Good luck!

[Burnindinner]

Miso - my sister is vegetarian too, then her DS has a dairy rxn, milk and eggs. She says miso has a lot of protein. If you get creative, I think there are a lot of places to get protein. Good luck! You should see improvement in a few days to a week.

[luckymamaoftwo]

Wow, I'm in a similar boat but my babe hasn't had blood in his stool, just sometimes has lots of mucous and a greenish tinge. I've worked with an LC on foremilk/hindmilk imbalance (wasn't the issue) and overactive letdown (doesn't appear to be the main issue) and am at my wit's end. I actually just posted about my frustrations "stop nursing to solve...."